Religious Beliefs. There are two faiths prevalent among the Garos: native and Christian. People who follow the traditional faith are known as Songsarek. Difference in religion has not brought any split in the population. The traditional world of the Garos includes a number of spirits who behave like human beings but have no shape. They are Saljong, the spirit of the sun and fertility; Gaera, the spirit of strength and the thunderbolt; Susume, the spirit of wealth. Propitiation for each is followed by the sacrifice of an animal and an offering of beer. A Christian Garo is supposed to avoid such practices. Ogres and biting spirits ( mite ) also occur.
Religious Practitioners. A Garo religious practitioner is known as kamal. The word is used to mean "specialist"; thus a midwife may be a kamal. A kamal derives neither special privilege nor prestige from his or her service to the society.
Ceremonies. All traditional annual festivals were connected with the different stages of shifting cultivation: Agalmaka, Maimua, Rongchugala, Ahaia, Wangala, etc. Wangala is considered to be the national festival among the Garos, taking place October-December. When a member of a family becomes Christian, he refuses to participate in Songsarek festivals.
Arts. The Garos used to make the following items: carved wooden shields ( spee ) ; baskets of different types; different varieties of drums— gambil, kram , and nakik ; pipes ( adil ) made of buffalo horn; flutes of bamboo; gonogina (Jew's harp) made of bamboo.
Medicine. They use a variety of herbal medicines for all sorts of ailments, and they claim to have herbal medicine for birth control also.
Death and Afterlife. They believe that after death human beings and animals turn into spirits known as memang ("ghosts"). These memang are considered counterparts of human beings.